Identification of Leishmania Species Isolated from Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR)

This cross-sectional study was designed to isolate of Leishmania spp from cutaneous leishmaniasis patients and characterized them by RAPD-PCR technique. Eighty- seven Leishmania isolates from 112 samples were collected from cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) patients who referred to Mashhad Health Centers from August 2002 to May 2004. Desirable samples (87 isolates) were characterized by RAPD-PCR method using four selected oligoprimers. Electrophoresis patterns from each isolate were compared with reference strains of L. major, L. tropica and L. infantum. The results showed that 94.2% and 5.8% of isolates were similar to L.tropica and L.major reference strain, respectively. Four isolates that were determined by RAPD-PCR as L.major, could produce ulcer at the base tail of BALB/c mice, 4 - 12 weeks after inoculation but none of L. tropica isolates produced any lesions at the site of injection in the animals. The results indicate that L. tropica species are dominant in the studied areas of Mashhad city and RAPD-PCR technique is a suitable tool for Leishmania characterization in epidemiological studies.